The sets come in deep blue boxes whose color contrasts perfectly with the mint, proof and reverse proof state coins featuring West Point, Philadelphia and San Francisco mint marks.

However, to holder the five-coin array, PCGS and NGC require that each set be submitted in sealed U.S. Mint shipping boxes. This is a valid policy that prevents coins that can be purchased individually, such as the bullion 2011 Eagle, from being labeled as emanating from an anniversary set.

NGC and PCGS are handling requests for return of blue boxes differently. NGC’s policy requires a submitter to request the return of the box. A simple $1 handling fee plus additional mailing is billed to the person’s account.

PCGS’s policy was announced in an email by Don Willis, President, who noted that the 25th Anniversary program “has been a smashing success for the Mint” and that most submitters “ask to have their Mint set packaging returned … placing severe demands on PCGS.”

Willis, of course, is correct. As he notes, “the size and weight of the Mint set packaging requires that it be returned separately from the coins resulting in extraordinary handling and cost.”

The PCGS policy is spelled out in the following release:

Effective for all submissions postmarked after November 18, 2011 PCGS will charge a return shipping fee for 25th Anniversary Mint set packaging.

Return shipping fees must be included in the original submission.

Return shipping fee for up to two 25th Anniversary sets is $20. That is two Mint sets for $20. Return shipping fee for one set is $20 as well.

Return shipping fee for three to five 25th Anniversary Mint sets is $30. Any number of Mint sets from three to five will cost $30 to be returned.

Return shipping costs for over five 25th Anniversary Mint sets will be based on the above costs. (ex. Five shipping boxes of five Mint set packages will cost $150.)

PCGS will not return Mint set packaging for submissions received without prepayment. Nor will the company accept phone calls requesting shipment after a submission has been received.

First of all, it should be acknowledged that both companies are doing their best to grade coins in a deluge of submissions. Secondly, requests for return of packaging and explanations about policies have been tying up Customer Service inquiries on other submissions due to the huge number of anniversary sets sent in for grading. Thirdly, there are legitimate billing and shipping issues associated with returning packaging.

That said, it is interesting to see how both companies handled the snafu. On the one hand, NGC is going out of its way with customer service, to the point of returning all paperwork and keeping track of billing issues. It has delayed the company’s typically swift processing of new submissions by 3-4 days.

PCGS’s policy seems harsh at first blush. But the company is focusing on its operations and the timely return of submissions, as it should.

The question is what will be done with those boxes that are not being returned? As demand for the sets rises–see this post from Louis Golino on exorbitant pricing–those boxes are going to come in handy. Dealers will be tempted to assemble their own sets from a combination of lesser MS/PF coins and single-issue sale Eagles (the very reason that holdering companies require sealed U.S. Mint shipping boxes).

Perhaps in the future the U.S Mint will devise a marketing mechanism that separates coins from packaging, at least on its limited edition/high demand products. For instance, coins can be placed in inexpensive sealed cardboard boxes with a special U.S. Mint label attached to collector boxes, enabling hobbyists who want to grade coins to keep the boxes without burdening slabbing companies.

Coin Update News wants to hear from you, our readers. What do you think of the 25th Anniversary Silver Eagle Set packaging Snafu? How, if at all, have you been affected? What do you recommend?

Related posts:

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Comments

>>>There is nothing truly meaningful about the First Strike (PCGS), Early Release (NGC), or First Day of Issue (ANSCS & ICG) labeled coins. All of those designations are pure marketing ploys to make more money for the TPGs. People pay the TPGs to so label coins because other people pay more to get coins that exhibit the labels. Strictly free enterprise at work. I really only have a problem when people lie, and I think that use of the term “First Strike” is a lie, even if it is defined as “shipped in the first 30 days”. If I call a chicken a swan and then say that when I say “swan” I mean “chicken” I am still lying.<<<

Amen to Claire's above comment.

If the Mint assembly of this particular 5-coin set doesn't point out the absolute absurdity of "First Strike", "Early Release", etc. designations, then there is no hope that the collecting public will ever demand that the TPG's end these ridiculous and money-grubbing designations.

Five different coins coming in from different directions and at different times that have been stored and will be stored two or three times with who-knows-what type of inventory and issuing control… but the wise TPG's can somehow determine which can be considered the first coins struck. And not only that but they can also divine which assembled sets happen to contain all five first-struck coins. Please!

The fact that the Mint felt compelled at one time to issue a public statement concerning the impossibity of determining which coins could be considered first-struck and on which dies has conveniently fallen on deaf ears by collectors and speculators alike… obviously quite happy to perpetuate this ripoff as long as they can get a little taste of the premiums.

I really can't believe rational people will keep their heads in the sand much longer about this. And, hopefully, the ridiculous premiums afforded by these designations will gradually dissolve away as they should.

Thank you for your comment on First Strike, etc. It is absurd. But in the business world, if people believe in the absurdity, as many people do in these meaningless labels, then there is profit to be made no matter how ridiculous the ploy. In a recent column in Coin World, I pointed out that this is one of the most potentially harmful threats to the hobby in the long run.

A primary task of the grading services used to be authentication of a coin to protect the buyer from getting an altered or counterfeit coin and a grade opinion. This where the collector gets the true value benefit of the expense & time to get coins graded. Modern mint issues need no authentication, it comes with the price of many mint products. As time passes, usually not a lot of time, the significance of First Strike, Early Release, 1st Day of Issue lose meaning and premium in the secondary market. The designations are totally absurd as they have no factual basis to coin production. The basis for market price becomes the current price of bullion, the original mintage amount, and collector demand. The latest fiasco has been with the 2010 America the Beautiful 5 oz. bullion issues, hyped with the relatively small mintage they took off to unbelievable premiums by the big market maker modern slabbed coin dealers only to completely crash and burn to bullion value plus a modest premium. If a lesson can’t be learned from this, if you keep doing what you are doing, you’ll keep getting what you are getting — plastic and labels!

Thank you, Gary. I wish there were some way to convey effectively the gist of your argument to hobbyists who value the label as much as the coin. Many have tried to articulate your argument, including me, concerning the insignificance of First Strike, Early Release, etc., to no avail. Actually, those designations are meaningless if the coin is MS/PF68 or MS/PF69. Given a choice between a “First Strike” MS69 bullion coin and an MS/PF70 coin without the “First Strike” label (not that there is much visual difference between the two grades), most label-seekers would take the MS/PF70 coin. Again that proves your point. I wonder how many hobbyists of this labeling mindset would actually pay a premium for an MS70+* First Strike coin!–not that I am encouraging that marketing ploy, of course!

Thanks Mike
As a further means to create a market differentiation tier for a given modern coin, let’s not forget the “PL” proof-like and “DMPL” deep mirror proof-like for uncirculated finish coins and Deep Cameo and Ultra Cameo Proof in addition to the striking superlatives on the label. I seriously believe that many collectors are seeking a matched set by plastic (grading service of choice) and label designation uniformity without much attention paid to the coins themselves. Unless a meaningful leap up is made in bullion prices, these collectors will not see any price appreciation and would have to accept a loss at selling time.
The PL and DMPL for uncirculated business strikes is EXTREMELY MISLEADING. Die wear is the cause for the proof-like effect. That said any such PL/DMPL should NEVER make a 70 or 69 grade and certainly not a First Strike or Early Issue!!!! Case in point… the 2009 ultra high relief $20 gold which was manufactured only in unc. Check out the graded coins on Ebay though!!! In my opinion this misguided labeling hurt the American the Beautiful 5 oz. coins tremendously!

Ah yes, the old Canadian PL designation resurrected for the UHR. I’m actually surprised we don’t already have a BL (Burnished-Like) designation for the bullion piece in the Set.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that out loud.

I recently submitted 5 of the 25th Anniversary sets for grading. I only did so because of the huge premium that is placed on graded coins on the secondary market. Everyone talks about how these coins (uncirculated/proofs) are generally of the same quality, yet people keep getting them graded. That forces others (like me) to do the same just to get an equal fair market value for their coin. Perfect example: I never had my 2009 UHR coin graded (and it was an early release coin). If I had to sell it today – unfortunately, it would sell for far less SIMPLY because I failed to get it graded. Granted, I can get it graded now but it would not have the early release designation. I did not want the same thing to happen with these sets. I suppose the real problem lies with the collector. If they are willing to pay up for a coin because it is a “PF70 ER slab with someones signature” versus your plain old “PF70 ER”, then really, there’s nothing anyone can do. As for the mint packaging – there is a thing called “cost of doing business”. I’m sure these grading companies are making more than sufficient profits on grading coins “in general” that they can afford to cover the costs (which – I’m not even sure they are even really doing). The customer is covering the cost, the grading company is simply not reaping MORE profits.

As this was the FIRST time I have had coins graded, I found it to be extremely confusing on how to simply submit the coins and determine how much it was going to cost me. Wouldn’t it have been easier to give a standard price per set? These companies knew how these sets were going to be released and they “should know” that collectors will want to keep the original mint packaging since it is part of the collection. Why not post the cost of all of that before the release so people will know what they have to pay?

As for me – I’m not real happy about the whole grading thing but I feel (as many probably do) I have no choice but to have coins graded if I want to maximize the value of the coin. Afterall – I think anyone who collects anything of value (especially coins) does so with the investment aspect in mind. Sure I enjoy looking at the coins but I enjoy it more when I know it has appreciated in value!
By the way – I have no problem having my coins graded but I would like more transparency. I want to know that the coin I sent in – is the coin I get back. I think that would be a great topic for discussion and I’d like to se how the grading agencies respond. Thanks. RPW

I was lucky enough to get my five sets, but personally I was a little disappointed with the packaging. I expected to get the set in a “highly polished, laquered hardwood presentation case” and instead they sent them out in a blue box. Unless that blue box was made from the ultra rare blue plastic tree, that is not hardwood. The 2009 UHR and the Lincoln Chronicles sets both came in hardwood cases, which was the quality I was expecting on these sets.

Disagree totally about the anniversary set box. It is very nice. And the Lincoln coin and chronicle set did NOT come in a hardwood box, absolutely not. The UHR box is nice, but it was overkill, way too big for one coin and totally impractical for storage. I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that most people store their UHR’s separately from the box.

I think that the Mint boxes the coins were sent in stink. I mean they smell funny. I have 2 sets, one graded 70’s and one straight from the Mint and both boxes have a real odd odor to them. I can’t stand the smell. Yes, the packaging could have been better.

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